Power fruit-press.



1 I .'791,746. k v PATENTED'JUNE6,1905@.

H. M. BARNGROVER.

POWER FRUIT PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG; 26. 1904.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 2v WITNESSES, a V VEN TOR, Chrzfiyik. QMW/ $1 TAv1i vUNITED STATES Patented June 6, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY-M. BARNGROVER, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOANDERSON-BARNGROVER MANFG (30., OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATIONOF CALIFORNIA.

POWER FRUIT-PRESS- SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No.791,746, dated June 6, 1905. Application filed August 26, 1904. SerialNo. 222,271.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARVEY M. BARN- GROVER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Power Fruit-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for thecompressing of dried fruits into boxes or packages.

It consists in the combination of mechanism whereby the boxes containinga given weight of fruit are advanced, placed beneath the press, and themechanism automatically returned after the pressing of each box iscomplete.

It also comprises details of construction, which will be more fullyexplained by referen cc to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a perspective view of myinven tion. Fig. 2 is a view showing end ofrack and latch. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of arms for holding box.Fig. 4 is a part side elevation of my invention, showing means forraising and lowering table. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section.

The apparatus comprises .any suitable or convenient frame or table, asat A, and at one end of this table is located a weighing device 2, uponwhich the boxes of fruit are first placed, and a given weight of thematerial to be pressed is placed in each of the boxes. The boxes arethen automatically advanced beneath the pressing device, which isoperated as follows: Upon each side of the table A are guides 3, whichare adjustable and are separated to receive a box between them. The endsof these guides may be diverged so that if the boxes are not deliveredsquarely upon the table the movement between the guides will place themin proper position before they reach the presser.

4 is a rack-bar having teeth on the lower side which engage with theteeth of a revoluble gear-wheel 6, so that by the movements of thisgear-wheel the rack-bar may be reciprocated. At the rear or receivingend this bar has fixed to it an arm 7, upon which is carried aspring-pressed latch 8. This latch is here shown as being hinged andhaving a spring 9 beneath its free end, which normally lifts this end upabove the level of the table. When the rack-bar is retracted, this latchwill be depressed on passing beneath the bottom of a box which is inposition to be advanced and will rise after passing the box, so as toengage its rear end, and when the rack-bar is again advanced this latchengaging the rear of the box will move it forward through the guidesuntil it" reaches a position vertically beneath the presser-plate 10.This plate is carried by a suitable arm 11, which is slidable in uprightguides, as at 12. This arm 11 projects between the guides to the outsideof the table and has connected with it a rod or pitman 13, the lower endof which is connected with a crank-pin 14 upon a wheel 15. This wheel isrevolved by means of a pinion 16, fixed upon the shaft 17 and this shaftcarries the tight and loose pulleys, as at 18, through which power maybe transmitted to revolve the shaft and connecting parts.

It will be understood that the driving-pulleys 18 represent any suitableor well-known form of motor which can be applied to this apparatus.

Upon the shaft 20 of the gear-wheel 15 is keyed the pinion 6, the teethof which engage the rack-bar A, as previously described. It will be seenthat by the revolution of this gear in one direction the rack-bar andits latch will be retracted to engage a box, and by its revolution inthe opposite direction the rackbar and latch will be advanced and thebox stopped beneath the presser-plate.

21 is a rack-bar the upper end of which is connected with thevertically-movable slide 11, which carries the presser-plate. Thisrack-bar is engaged by a pinion 22 upon the same hub or sleeve whichcarries the pinion 6, this hub or sleeve being mounted upon the shaft20, as shown. Thus it will be seen that when by the revolution of thewheel 15 its crank acts, through the connecting-rod 13, to reciprocatethe slide carrying the presserplate the movement in one direction willact,

through the gears, to retract the rack 4 and .the movement in theopposite direction will advance the rack.

The box containing the fruit being placed beneath the presser-plate, thelatter will be depressed by the action of the crank and pitman, and thefruit will be compressed to any desired degree within the box. Theadvance of the following box will push this oneout of the way and it canbe removed and the cover nailed on.

In order to adjust the mechanism to various sizes of boxes, I have showna feeder and weighing-tables as carried upon verticallyguided screws, as2 1, these screws being located near opposite ends, and the shanks ofthe screws carry sprockets 25, around which an endless chain 26 passes.By means of a hand-wheel or convenient equivalent device, as at 27, thescrews are turned in unison to raise and lower the parts which aresupported thereby. In this manner adjustment may be made for any size ofbox, as twenty-five, fifty, or eighty pounds, as desired.

The pressure applied by this apparatus will not burst the boxes, and itpresses evenly all over each box and the same upon all the boxes.

In order to accurately place boxes of different lengths beneath thepresser-plate, the latch 8 is so mounted that it may be moved forward orback by means of its securing bolts and nuts.

The box is held in place by arms or stops 28, which prevent itsdisplacement by the lifting of the presser-plate, so thatif it is foundnecessary or desirable to compress the contents of the box by two ormore impulses of the presser-plate the proper alinement of the box andplate would be maintained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for pressing fruit, a table, mechanism by which theboxes are advanced upon said table, a vertically-movable presser-plateand mechanism by which the table is simultaneously raised or depressedwith relation to said plate.

2. In an apparatus for pressing fruit and the like, avertically-adjustable feeding-table, guides upon each side of thefeeder-table between which the boxes are advanced, a vertically-movablepresser-plate and mechanism by which it is reeiprocated upon the arrivalof each box beneath it.

3. In a compressing apparatus, a substantially horizontal feed-tablehaving a central channel, guides upon each side between whichfruit-containing boxes are adapted to advance, a reciprocating slidehaving a spring-pressed latch projecting through the table-slot adaptedto engage the rear end of the boxes, means by which said latch isreciprocated to alternately engage and advance a box, averticallyreciprocating presser-plate, mechanism acting in unison withthe feed mechanism whereby the plate is depressed into each box upon thearrival of said box in line beneath the plate.

I. In an apparatus for compressing material into boxes, a substantiallyhorizontal centrally-slotted and vertically-adjustable table, guidesupon each side of the table, a springpressed latch movable in the slotin the table adapted to engage the rear end of each box when retracted,a horizontally-movable rackbar, a pinion engaging said bar, mechanism bywhich the rack-bar is reciprocated and a vertically-movablepresser-plate and mechanism by which said plate is reciprocated.

5. In an apparatus for compressing a substantiall y horizontalcentrally-slotted table, a vertically-reciprocating presser-platelocated near one end of .the table, a shaft 'journaled across the table,a crank carried by said shaft, a pitman engaging the presser-plate, apinion carried by the shaft, a rack-bar engaging the pinion andconnecting with the reciprocating presser-plate, a second pinionturnable in unison with the first-named pinion, a rack-barongaged bysaid second pinion, a spring-pressed latch carried by said rack-barmovable in the slot in the table, said latch engaging the rear of eachbox and advancing it to a point heneath the presser-plate in unison withthe movement of said presser-plate.

6. In an apparatus for compressing material, a horizontalcentrally-slotted table with longitudinally-disposed guides upon eachside, a vertically-movable presser-plate, and guides therefor at one endof the table, a reciprocating slide and spring-pressed latch movable inthe table-slot to engage and ad 'ance boxes, and means for adjusting thelatch.

7. In an apparatus for compressing material in boxes, a horizontalcentrally-slotted table, with side guides, a spring-pressed latchslidable in said slot, a verticallymovable presser-plate beneath whichboxes are placed by the sliding latch, and guides movable with thepresser-plate to engage the box and hold it in alinement with saidplate.

8. The combination in a compressing apparatus, of a horizontal support,reciprocating mechanism by which boxes are advanced on said support, averticallymovable presserplate beneath which the boxes are deposited,and adjustable retaining-arms for the boxes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HARVEY M. BARNG ROVER. \Vitnesses:

H. BURRELL, B. D. HULL.

